NICTD - West Lake Corridor (Merrillville, Munster: sales, condo, Home Depot)

[Chuckity]

Originally Posted by Northwest Indiana

But it seems like that is what most Valpo/Chesterton residents want anyway LOL!

Huh? Chesterton already has the South Shore. And why is what domer said funny?

[Northwest Indiana]

Originally Posted by Chuckity

Huh? Chesterton already has the South Shore. And why is what domer said funny?

Well, what I meant was that many people in Porter county would appreciate the slowed growth in Valpo and Chesterton. And I didn't really "LOL" but it was kind of funny what she said because as you even said yourself, people in Valpo like the status quo (aka not having a train there) so the growth into south Lake county (should the train be extended there) shouldn't bother Porter county residents.

[domergurl]

Originally Posted by Northwest Indiana

Well, what I meant was that many people in Porter county would appreciate the slowed growth in Valpo and Chesterton. And I didn't really "LOL" but it was kind of funny what she said because as you even said yourself, people in Valpo like the status quo (aka not having a train there) so the growth into south Lake county (should the train be extended there) shouldn't bother Porter county residents.

thanks for clearing that up!!!

[Northwest Indiana]

Originally Posted by domergurl

thanks for clearing that up!!!

You're welcome!

[Northwest Indiana]

Although I am hesitant to say this (because of some of the backlash I might receive), here goes!

Look at all the suburbs of Chicago that have the most thriving downtowns. What do they all have in common? They are all served by commuter rail. Even Homewood and Flossmoor, which get a bad rep because of their location in the south suburbs, have thriving and relatively lively downtowns! They are all served by commuter rail.

Now I am not saying that we should only have this extension because we are "wannabe's" and just HAVE to copy Illinois...but come on! This extension will seriously raise property values and most importantly, put NWI on the map as a TRUE alternative to living in Illinois. Even if the property values rise, they will still be considerably lower than those in some comparable suburbs and we will still have SIGNIFICANTLY lower taxes. Not only that, but I am sick and tired of having to rely on the expressway to ATTEMPT to get downtown in a SAFE and timely manner.

Even if (and that is a big IF) you don't travel to Chicago very often, wouldn't it be nice to be able to take the train from St. John to Munster and shop at the proposed town center INSTEAD of driving to Southlake and dealing with the traffic/parking and safety issues there? I sure think it would.

[domergurl]

I think it's because, with the exception of the Dune Acres stop, the South Shore stations aren't in highly desireable areas. I think this is where a lot of the negativity regarding commuter rail coming into towns that don't have it comes from ... when folks want to ride the train to Chicago ... they see Gary and that's scary. I remember specifically, this particular lady i was talking to said that public transit brings in lower income people to the area ... I told her that she needs to travel to Naperville, Evanston or Batavia ...

But again, Valpo's need to stay the same will become Crown Point and Lowell's gain. Those places are a lot more affordable than Naperville!

[tb4000]

Basically, they don't want to sacrifice their quiet, peaceful old school ways for progress, is what it sounds like.

[Bluefox]

Native Valparaisan (if that's even a word) and probably going to end up back there, so here's my two cents:

Domergurl, I think you're right about the reasons Valpo people don't want the South Shore to come. But they just seem like really misguided reasons.

From the posts on this topic, it seems like there are two Pandora's Box scenarios that people are afraid will happen: either (1) it will somehow bring people in from the ghettos who will bring with crime, drugs, and whatever else that will in one fell swoop destroy everything Valpo is and is not, or (2) will result in massive influx of Chicagoans, effectively turning Valpo into a cookie-cutter suburb, destroying the unique character of the city its residents have come to love.

Well, I'm skeptical that either of these scenarios will happen, at least as a result of a South Shore train. Just look at Chesterton--they've had the South Shore for years and the world didn't end, right? Did it turn into Gary? No. Did become oversaturated with Chicagoans? No. In fact, it didn't change much at all, save the moderate growth in population all of Porter County has experienced.

I don't have any reason to believe that Valparaiso, a city further away from both Gary and Chicago than Chesterton, will experience this drastic change motivating people's sentiments about the train.

And really, there are already lots of Chicago people coming into into Porter County and I don't think that's a bad thing, and much less is it contingent upon whether there is a train station. Will it be a factor in people's decision to move to Valpo? Sure. But I don't think it is the be-all end-all.

tb4000, I think you're completely right. It's completely about being resistant to change more than anything else.

[subject2change]

I don't blame people in Valparaiso at all for wanting things to stay the same. I think their combination of available resources and small town in rural surroundings character is wonderful. I hope they can preserve it.

[tb4000]

Originally Posted by subject2change

I don't blame people in Valparaiso at all for wanting things to stay the same. I think their combination of available resources and small town in rural surroundings character is wonderful. I hope they can preserve it.

What good is it if they're so isolated from everything else?